In various geographical areas and particularly during certain seasons of the year, the sun's rays are frequent and intense with the result that the interior of a parked vehicle exposed for even a short period of time to the sun's rays can become extremely hot and uncomfortable, particularly where for security reasons the doors of the vehicle are locked closed and the windows are shut tight. Where the steering wheel, steering column, gear shift lever, and various knobs and switches located on the dashboard are exposed to such sun's rays they can become blistering hot causing pain and discomfort when touched by the driver or passenger. Furthermore, where the vehicle seats are upholstered in leather or plastic material, they can also become uncomfortably warm when exposed to the sun's rays, causing heat to radiate therefrom. To avoid exposure to the sun's rays, a driver will normally seek a shady location in which to park the vehicle. Oftentimes such a location is not readily available, and even if found, the shade will last only a short period of time because of a change in the direction of the sun and thus, such a location does not effectively solve the aforementioned heat problems. Where the shady location is under a tree, the exterior of the parked vehicle is exposed to sap or various debris falling from the tree causing spotting, soiling or defacement of the vehicle exterior.
Various devices for deflecting and/or blocking the sun's rays have heretofore been utilized such as roller shades, blinds, curtains, visors and the like. Such devices, however, are beset with one or more of the following shortcomings: (a) the device is of costly, complex and/or bulky construction; (b) the device is permanently installed and the installation thereof is difficult, awkward and time-consuming; and (c) the device oftentimes detracts from the esthetic appearance of the vehicle.
Recently, portable inexpensive devices such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,396 issued to Abraham Levy, have been utilized in an attempt to resolve the aforementioned sun-ray problem. The Levy device incorporates a plurality of foldably interconnected rectangular panels arranged in side-by-side relation. In certain embodiments of the Levy device, tabs, flaps and eyelets are utilized in order to properly position the device in a desired location. Because of the rectangular configuration of the panels, the device is not capable in certain instances of conforming to a wide variety of windshield interior surface configurations. Furthermore, the planar surfaces of adjacent rectangular panels tend to deflect the sun's ray in generally the same direction thereby reducing the effectiveness of the device as a sunshield.
Another recent sunshielding device which is commercially available utilizes a pair of fan-shaped units mounted for pivotal adjustment on the interior of the windshield adjacent a lower perimetric segment thereof. One unit is aligned in front of the driver's seat and the other unit is aligned with the passenger's front seat. Each unit includes a plurality of elongated slats or blade-like members which are pivotally connected to one another at a corresponding one end. The opposite ends of the slats are interconnected by one or more flexible tapes or cords. When the unit is functioning as a sunshield, the slats are pivoted relative to one another in a fan-like arrangement so as to cover a substantial portion of the windshield interior surface. When the unit is not in use, the slats are pivoted into a registered face-to-face relation and rest along the lower perimetric segment of the windshield. The fan-like device is secured to the windshield interior surface by suction cups or the like. While effectie to a certain extent as a sunshield, the fan-like device is beset with many of the aforementioned shortcomings associated with prior devices. Furthermore, because only one end of each slat is pivotal connected, the slats, when disposed in an inoperative mode, that is, when they are disposed in registered face-to-face relation, the vibration created when the vehicle is moving would likely cause the slats to produce an undesirable rattle.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sunshielding device which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved, foldable sunshielding device which is effective as a sunblock and which is highly versatile for use in conjunction with a variety of shapes, contours and sizes of vehicular windows.
It is a further object to provide an improved, foldable sunshielding device with the capability to operate without the use of several secondary support means.
It is a further object to provide an improved, foldable sunshielding device which is of simple inexpensive construction and is capable of being collapsed into a compact readily storable unit when not in use.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the specification, appended claims and accompanying drawings.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention a portable sunshielding device is provided which is formed from a blank of foldable, relatively stiff, lightweight inexpensive, opaque sheet material. The blank is provided with a plurality of non-parallel foldlines extending between the upper and lower edges of the blank. The foldlines define a plurality of multilateral panels which coact with one another, when the device is in an operative mode, to substantially cover the interior surface of the windshield of a parked vehicle. When in the operative mode, the device is positioned so that the lower edges of the panels are adjacent a lower perimetric segment of the windshield and are supported by an upper surface of the vehicle dashboard. The upper edges of the panels are positioned in close proximity to an upper perimetric segment of the windshield. The upper edge portions of certain of the panels engage hand-manipulated interior sun-visors, which are of conventional design and commonly located proximate the upper portion of the windshield. Because the foldlines are disposed in a nonparallel relation, the panels are adapted to be compatible with a wide variety of windshield shapes. When the device is in an inoperative mode, the panels assume a stacked face-to-face relation forming a substantially flat compact unit suitable for storage.